Child labour grows for first time in two decades: UN

Geneva: The world has marked the first rise in child labour in two decades and the coronavirus crisis threatens to push millions more youngsters towards the same fate, the United Nations said Thursday.

In a joint report, the International Labour Organization and the UN children’s agency UNICEF said the number locked in child labour stood at 160 million at the start of 2020 — an increase of 8.4 million in just four years.